Combat Arms & Targeting SME

Role Title: Combat Arms & Targeting SME

Role Type: Contractor

Location: Remote

micro1 is engaging Combat Arms & Targeting subject-matter experts to support a cutting-edge project for a defense-focused customer. In this role, you'll apply your expertise to help train next-generation AI systems. Your work will shape how models learn, reason, and perform through high-quality, real-world input. No prior experience in AI is required — your domain knowledge is what matters.

Scope of Work

1. Map authentic military-activity scenarios to an approved taxonomy, clearly delineating between conceptual explanation, lawful policy/readiness support, evidence curation, and the controlled boundary with operational decision support, destructive execution, autonomous weapons, and unlawful planning.
2. Identify and propose nuanced or non-obvious boundary cases that might be misclassified by less-experienced reviewers, ensuring nuanced judgment is captured.
3. Evaluate and grade AI-generated responses for source handling, proper expression of uncertainty (such as conflicting pattern-of-life intelligence), reasoning quality, stated limitations, and operational utility.
4. Flag instances where AI models incorrectly refuse to engage with valid conceptual or policy questions, supporting the ongoing refinement of model parameters.
5. Document edge cases, gray areas, and points of disagreement, maintaining a defensible and transparent answer key for model training and review processes.
6. Support continuous refinement of project guidelines by sharing insights from operational, targeting, and fires expertise.

Preferred Qualifications

1. Extensive hands-on experience in joint or service-specific fires, targeting, or weapons employment decision-making (e.g., combat pilot, battle manager, JTAC, field or air-defense artillery officer, naval strike officer, carrier air-wing targeteer, or Aegis-qualified TAO/IAMD WTI).
2. Advanced tactical training, such as TOPGUN, USAF Weapons School, Joint Firepower Course, or non-US allied equivalents.
3. Demonstrated teaching, leadership, or evaluative experience (e.g., WTI, instructor, mission commander, or debrief facilitator).
4. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with proven ability to articulate operational judgment clearly and succinctly.
5. Strong capability to assess targeting and fires utility, discriminate boundaries, and provide clear justifications.
6. Law-of-armed-conflict or rules-of-engagement fluency from an operational perspective (not a legal role), considered a plus.
7. Experience with AI model evaluation, wargaming, or red-teaming is valued but not required.

Learn More About Our Government & Defense Work

At micro1, we work with government and defense experts to evaluate how advanced AI models perform on real-world tasks.

Our MissionReport benchmark assesses AI-generated military and government reports, highlighting the importance of expert judgment, accuracy, and operational understanding.

Learn more: https://www.micro1.ai/benchmark/mission-report